1796 Draped Bust Cent. S-112. Rarity-4+. Reverse of 1794. MS-63 BN (PCGS).<strong>Type:</strong> Draped Bust.<p><strong>Design:</strong> Obv: A draped bust of Liberty faces right with the word LIBERTY above and the date 1796 below. Libertys hair is tied with a ribbon, the ends of which are plainly evident at the back of the head. Rev: A wreath surrounds the denomination ONE CENT, the base of the wreath bound by a ribbon tied into a bow. The legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is around the border and another expression of the denomination 1/100 is below.<p><strong>Weight Standard:</strong> 10.89 grams.<p><strong>Diameter:</strong> 29 mm.<p><strong>Die Variety:</strong> Sheldon-112, Breen-19. Obv: Readily identifiable, the digits 96 in the date are closely spaced and connected by a short, sharp die break. High grade examples, as here, also exhibit repunching along to the letters LI in LIBERTY. This obverse was also used in the S-110 pairing. Rev: Reverse of 1794 with 14 leaves in the left branch of the wreath, 18 in the right, berries seven left and seven right. There are two berries next to the left loop of the bow, and a bold die scratch runs from the border through the letter R in AMERICA to the right base of the adjacent E. This reverse also appears in the 1796 NC-5 pairing.<p>A number of die marriages corresponds to the Reverse of 1794 <em>Guide Book</em> variety of the 1796 Draped Bust cent: S-101, S-102, S-106, S-107, S-108, S-109, S-110, S-111, S-112 and NC-5.<p><strong>Die State:</strong> Noyes B/B, Breen III. Obv: A crack through the top of the letters in the word LIBERTY extends faintly and irregularly into the upper left field. Additional cracks are evident from the middle ribbon end to the border and through the base of the digits 179 in the date. There are scattered die rust lumps below and in front of the bust, as well as in the field in front of Libertys neck. Rev: Faint clash marks from Libertys portrait are evident through the fraction and lower right wreath, as well as between the upper left wreath and the letters AT in STATES, upper right wreath and the word OF. Cracked from the border down the right side of the second letter T in STATES, extending faintly to the leaf below. The faint bulge in the center eventually develops into a considerable die swell in Breen State IV.<p><strong>Edge:</strong> Plain.<p><strong>Mintage:</strong> The mintage of 363,375 coins for the 1796 Draped Bust cent provided in most numismatic references corresponds to the Mints deliveries for this denomination from October 13 through the end of calendar year 1796. With additional examples produced during calendar year 1797, and possibly also 1798, the exact mintage from 1796-dated dies is unknown.<p><strong>Estimated Surviving Population for the Die Variety:</strong> Rarity-4+: 76 to 117 coins in all grades.<p><strong>Strike:</strong> Both sides are ideally centered within fully denticulated borders that are broader and more pronounced on the reverse. All major design elements are sharp.<p><strong>Surfaces:</strong> A satiny, hard and smooth-looking example with handsome medium brown toning overall. Subtle sandy-tan highlights on the reverse point to areas where original mint color was last to fade. Free of all but a few wispy handling marks that are easily overlooked, provenance markers include a tiny nick on Libertys cheek and a shallow planchet flaw at the obverse border at 9 oclock. Beautiful!<p><strong>Commentary:</strong> This is an outstanding coin to represent the Reverse of 1794 <em>Guide Book</em> variety of the 1796 Draped Bust cent. EAC grade of AU-55 in both the Bland and 2007 Noyes census listings, where it is ranked CC#1 for the Sheldon-112 dies -- a full ten points finer than the CC#2 example.PCGS# 35807. NGC ID: 223W.PCGS Population (all die marriages of the Reverse of 1794 variety): 1; 2 finer in this category (MS-66+ BN finest). There is also an MS-66 RB listed at PCGS.From the ESM Collection. Earlier ex Charles M. Wormser (New Netherlands Coin Co.), found in England, 1949; Dr. William H. Sheldon, April 19, 1972; R.E. "Ted" Naftzger, Jr., February 23, 1992; Eric Streiner, December 1993; John B. MacDonald (via Denis Loring), January 1997; Tom Reynolds; Ira & Larry Goldbergs sale of the Tom Reynolds Collection of Large Cents, Part I, January 2016, lot 85. The plate coin for the variety in both the 1991 and 2007 editions of the Noyes large cent reference.
